Authored By Staff report

National Public Lands Day 2018 is your chance to give back to the lands that give you space to live, learn, play, exercise, relax, explore and so much more. The Tennessee Valley Authority is offering some ways to get involved. TVA manages 293,000 acres of public land—some of it wild and untamed, some of it cultivated with campgrounds, swimming areas, fishing piers, playgrounds, hiking trails, picnic pavilions and other recreational assets. Nearly all of it is available to you year-round for your enjoyment. It is, in a very real sense, your land. Throughout the month of September, TVA will be celebrating National Public Lands Day 2018, which is Sept. 22, by inviting you to give back to the lands you love. “National Public Lands Day 2018 is a great time for all of us to take a moment to appreciate these beautiful, unique and beneficial public lands and waterways across TVA’s seven-state service area,” Bucky Edmondson, director of Natural Resources at TVA, said. “It’s also the perfect time to join us and people across the region in helping take care of the Valley’s public lands.” Across the Tennessee Valley, TVA Natural Resources specialists are partnering with local organizations to host cleanup and maintenance events on public lands and waterways. Volunteer for one of the following events relatively near Chattanooga, and you’ll not only get the natural high that comes with caring for nature, you’ll get the chance to pick up cool posters and TVA outdoor swag. Normandy Reservoir Cleanup When: Saturday, Sept. 22 Time: 9 a.m. to 1 a.m. CST Where: Barton Springs public use area on Lyndell Rd. Details: TVA, The Duck River Agency and Keep Coffee County Beautiful are sponsoring and providing supplies for this effort to remove trash and litter from Normandy’s shoreline and dispersed recreation areas. TVA Contact: Mark Morrissey, mtmorrissey@tva.gov Watts Bar Lake Cleanup When: Friday, Sept. 28 Time: 9 a.m. to noon Where: Watts Bar Dam Reservation Details: Join TVA and the Watts Bar Lake Association for an island-oriented cleanup effort. TVA Contact: Scott Ledford, wsledford@tva.gov Family Hike at Little Cedar Mountain, Nickajack Lake When: Saturday, Sept. 29 Time: 9 a.m. to midnight CST Where: Little Cedar Mountain Small Wild Area near Shellmound Campground and Nickajack Dam Details: Little Cedar Mountain is a dreamscape. We will hike to the amazing overlook above the lake and discover amphibian habitat on the Pond Trail. Bob Butters with Outdoor Chattanooga will be one of the guides. The trail is four miles long and moderately difficult. TVA Contacts: Mark Odom, mlodom@tva.gov, and Aurora Pulliam admoldovanyi@tva.gov 50 Anniversary of the Hiwassee Scenic River When: Saturday, Sept. 29 Time: 1 to 9 p.m. Where: Hiwassee/Ocoee Scenic Rivers State Park Details: Bring the whole family and join us in celebrating the anniversary of the beautiful Hiwassee being a Scenic River. This will bean daylong event with a hike on the John Muir Trail and a float on the river at the same time. Everyone is welcome to meet back in our group camp at Gee Creek for food, music and fun. There will be vendors set up such as REI and Starr Mountain Outfitters. TVA and others will have booths set up to help you with all your outdoor adventure needs. TVA Contacts: Aurora Pulliam, admoldovanyi@tva.gov, and Suzanne Fisher, lsfisher@tva.gov Tennessee River Rescue When: Saturday, Oct. 6 Time: 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Where: 17 different departure sites; visit tennesseeriverrescue.org for more information Details: Join this large-scale cleanup effort—founded in 1988 as a way to help beautify the Scenic City and protect its precious water resources—on Nickajack and Chickamauga reservoirs. TVA Contact: Mark Odom, mlodom@tva.gov See the full list of TVA events here.